Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia (Latvian: Latvija or Latvijas Republika), is a country in Eastern Europe. Latvia has land borders with her two fellow Baltic states — Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south — and Russia and Belarus to the east. In the west, Latvia shares a maritime border with Sweden. The capital of Latvia is Riga (Latvian: Rīga). Latvia has been a member state of the European Union since May 1, 2004.